


The Last Goodbye

by c0cunt



Series: c0cunt's minifics [30]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Canon Continuation, Dead Marco Bott, M/M, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-04 00:11:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6632869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/c0cunt/pseuds/c0cunt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean goes to say his last goodbye, before leaving the walls for good.<br/>Prompt:  "Stop doing this to yourself."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Last Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> My heart hurts after writing this, I'm so sorry.

  It had been years, but the ache was still fresh as Jean wandered the streets of Trost.  The city was mostly abandoned now, as was most of civilization within the walls, following Queen Historia out into the wilderness after all the titans were eradicated.  The city was almost exactly as it had been the day before the battle at Trost had happened, though, having had all damage repaired in almost no time at all.  But there were new landmarks strewn throughout, paid for by the Survey Corps in memory of those that had fallen to titans.  If Jean didn’t know where to go, all he’d have to do was follow the maps to the landmarks.  He knew exactly where Marco had fallen.  After all, he was the one to identify and recover his body.

  Jean had been the one to insist on a landmark for where Marco’s body had laid.  Historia hadn’t argued, in fact it had only been because of her support that Marco’s spot was immortalized with a large tombstone engrave with his name and date of birth and death.  It would’ve been left only at that, if Jean hadn’t gotten wind of that being the only thing to immortalize his best friend’s life and death.  He had insisted on an inscription worthy of Marco’s sharp tongue and kind hands, worthy of being the only thing left in this cruel world of the one bright spot of joy that had been wiped out without a second thought a few days before their graduation.  Jean steadied his breath as he turned the corner onto the block that Marco had died, his eyes immediately focusing on the tombstone that stuck out like a sore thumb against the nearby buildings.

  He promised himself he wouldn’t cry this time, but a few traitorous tears gathered at the corners of his eyes as he approached.  He could clearly remember what he had been thinking before he had noticed Marco’s body...He had actually been wondering where Marco was, after not catching a single glimpse of him after three days since the hole in the wall had been fixed.  The pain hadn’t eased much since then, though Jean had been able to channel it into more productive things than the months of crying that had happened afterwards.  As he stood in front of the silent tombstone, the only thing he could think to do was salute, as he silently said goodbye for the last time.

  The Survey Corps were leaving the walls permanently, after a few years of headquarters within the walls as well as within the queen’s new city.  Jean had fought so hard to stay within the walls, with Marco, that it had nearly torn the corps apart, and it was only because of Armin that he and Eren hadn’t destroyed everything.  Even Connie had told Jean it was time to move on, not letting him dig his heels in as he forced the wheels in motion for the Survey Corps to leave the walls for good.  Jean was, actually, the last member still within the walls, aside from Connie who was waiting for him just outside of Shingashina.

  Jean sighed deeply as he dropped his salute, and pulled the bottle of alcohol he had been able to swipe from the rations from where it had been hidden underneath his jacket, and settled next to the large stone.  Uncorking the bottle and inhaling the almost disgustingly strong smell of alcohol, Jean let out a small laugh as he ran his hands over the inscription on Marco’s tombstone, letting himself remember everything from when they were cadets.  “Hey...Marco...Do you remember when…”


End file.
